


Friends (And Soup) Are Good For The Soul

by Sarcastic_Metaphor



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Gen, Milo is too stubborn to admit he ought to go home, Sickfic, so its a good thing he has such responsible friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:40:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21867664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarcastic_Metaphor/pseuds/Sarcastic_Metaphor
Summary: Milo is sick on the day of a League meeting. He thinks he can tough it out, but his fellow Gym Leaders think differently. (They also know Milo's limits better than himself, apparently)[Feat. Milo, Nessa, and Kabu as the friends/found family squad and a smidge of Milo/Raihan]
Relationships: Milo & Kabu, Milo & Nessa, Milo & Raihan
Comments: 7
Kudos: 185





	Friends (And Soup) Are Good For The Soul

**Author's Note:**

> This was a commission for a friend on tumblr! 
> 
> I've never really written a sick fic before, so this was a lot of fun!

Milo woke up early one morning knowing he was sick. He had felt a little warm the day before, but figured it was nothing. Now, he wasn’t so sure it was something he could shake off. His whole body felt heavy and warm, his head stuffed with wool. But Milo was never one to shirk off his responsibilities, and he knew he needed to be in Motostoke this weekend for a conference. So he hauled himself out of bed, chugging glass after glass of cold water and some medicine to supress the burning feeling under his skin. 

“Milo?”   
  
He looked up. Mum was standing in the doorway to the kitchen. She frowned as she walked over to him and pressed her palm to his cheek.   
  
“You look a little warm. Are you sure you want to go to this meeting today?”   
  
Milo nodded. “I’ll be fine, I promise. It’s not like I’ll have to battle or anything. It’s just a few meetings.”   
  
“If you insist.” But Mum still didn’t look completely satisfied. “But you come home if it gets worse, alright?”   
  
“Yes, Mum.”

So Milo boarded his train and was on his way to Motostoke. On the way, he texted Nessa.

**Milo:** On my way to Motostoke, what about u?

**Nessa:** I’m almost there.

**Nessa:** Ugh I cannot wait for this weekend to be over 

**Milo:** Why? Don’t you love it when Rose lectures us on our behavior?

**Nessa:** No, and it’s not my fault Raihan can’t stop going feral during battles 

Milo laughed softly to himself. 

Although, after a little while, he could feel himself growing warmer. Maybe it was the temperature of the train, or maybe it was him. He couldn’t tell, so he undid the knot in his scarf and tucked it into his suitcase. 

He leaned his head back against his seat and closed his eyes. Just to rest a little bit. But he must have fallen asleep, because Milo jerked awake just as the train slowed to a stop. When he stood up, the room immediately started tilting to the side. 

Milo blinked, bracing his arm against the window and waited for the feeling to subside. He inhaled slowly and exhaled. Maybe… maybe he was actually sick. 

But he was already in Motostoke! It’d be a waste for him to just go home now. At the very least, he could stay for today and leave tonight. It’d seem less rude that way.

So Milo grabbed his suitcase and stepped off the train. First stop was the hotel so he could drop off his belongings. He knew the streets of Motostoke fairly well, but everything felt hazy. His memory, his hearing, his sight. The sun and neon shop signs were especially hard to look at. Still, he found his way to his hotel and stepped inside the lobby. He saw someone familiar at the front desk.   
  
“Nessa!” He called out. 

She turned around and smiled when she saw him. “Hi, Milo!”   
  
He couldn’t resist giving her a hug. They might be rivals (according to Nessa), but he saw them more as friends.

Nessa let him hug her, but her smile faded when she took a closer look at his face.    
  
“Milo? Are you alright?”   
  
“Yeah, why?”   
  
She frowned. “Your whole face looks red. And where’s your scarf?”   
  
“Ah- well…”   
  
Milo instinctively reached up to fiddle with his scarf, only to find his neck bare. “I might be a little under the weather today.”

“No shit.” Nessa said, “Are you still planning on going to the meeting today?”   
  
Milo shrugged. “I’m already here, aren’t I? I should go.”

Nessa pursed her lips. “If you say so.”   


By the time the two of them arrived at the stadium for their meeting, Milo was most certainly  _ not _ okay. He couldn’t get the flush in his face to go away, and was tugging at the front of his shirt to cool himself off. Still, he and Nessa slipped inside the conference room and took their seats. 

Milo just had to get through this one day. He could certainly at least do that. 

* * *

**Nessa:** Milo is sick today but doesn’t want to admit it, can you help keep an eye on him?

Kabu stared at his phone. 

Their meeting was just about to start, but some of the seats around the table were still empty. Nessa was sitting to his side, and next to her was Milo. She was pointedly not making eye contact with him.

**Kabu:** Certainly. How bad is it?

**Nessa:** Not sure, but he’s definitely not well

**Kabu:** Ah, I see.

Milo didn’t seem like the type to be a workaholic, but Kabu and Nessa knew him well. There was hardly a day where he didn’t either work his family farm or train in his gym. Chills or mild headaches were hardly deterrents for him, but if Nessa thought he was genuinely unwell, then Milo must really be sick. 

Perhaps Kabu should try to convince him to leave? 

At the very least, Milo was at risk of making someone else sick. Certainly, it was his last intention, but there was also Milo’s own health to consider.

But then, Rose stepped into the room followed by Oleana and Leon. 

He took his seat at the head of the table and cleared his throat. “Sorry for the delay, everybody. Let’s begin.” 

Kabu remained quiet as the meeting started, but spared glanced over Nessa’s shoulder every once in a while.

* * *

As soon as they took a break for lunch, Milo reached into his pocket. He brought a travel-sized packet of medicine to help his fever go down, and he swallowed the pills dry. 

But as soon as he stood up, the room felt like it was tilting again.

“Milo? You’re not staying, right?” Nessa asked. 

The conference room was starting to empty out, with most people already leaving to eat lunch somewhere in the city. Only Milo, Nessa, and Kabu remained. He blinked and forced himself to focus on Nessa.

“I’m fine, though! Just a little warm.” He said, laughing a bit.

“You’re sweating.”   
  
One of Milo’s hands clapped against the back of his neck, feeling the light layer of perspiration clinging to his skin. He had to 

“I still feel fine, though!”   
  
Neither Kabu or Nessa looked convinced. 

“She’s right, Milo. You ought to return to the hotel and rest. We can tell Rose why you needed to leave.”   
  
Milo wished he still had his scarf. He was so used to the comforting weight around his neck.

“Wouldn’t that be rude, though? I don’t want to just _ leave.” _ _  
_   
Milo was no quitter. Not when it came to his family, his Pokemon, and not when it came to his job. He could at least make it to the end of the day.

Kabu hummed softly and approached him. He pressed the back of his hand to Milo’s forehead. Milo’s eyes widened, as did Nessa’s. 

“Yes, you certainly have a fever. We’re getting you back to the hotel, do you understand?” Kabu asked.   
  
“Uh…”

Maybe it was because Kabu so rarely ever behaved like this, but it was an almost fatherly touch.

Nessa tugged on his arm, urging him out of the room. “Come on, Milo. Before you drop dead.”   
  
Maybe this really was for the best. Milo didn’t like making his friends or family worry, even at the expense of his work ethic. 

He made it out of the conference room, but the bright lights in the hallway gave him an awful headache. The elevator was even worse, being made of glass and letting all the sunlight shine through. 

“...Milo?”

He groaned softly, and squeezed his eyes shut. 

“Milo?”   
  
He leaned his head back against the wall, trying to shield his eyes with his hat.

“Milo!”   
  
Everything after that was a blur, although he could remember hitting the floor.

He could just barely remember Nessa shouting, and the next thing Milo knew, he was being laid down on a bed. And it was so soft and the pillow was so cool, he just couldn’t resist closing his eyes. 

Milo woke to the sounds of muffled footsteps and soft voices. He didn’t open his eyes, not yet fully awake, but he could tell he was somewhere safe. And warm. And the voices in the distance sounded quite familiar, actually.

He groaned softly, his head beginning to hurt. 

When did he get home from the meeting?   
  
The more Milo tried to think, the more his head hurt. And the more he tried to think, the more he realized he couldn’t remember getting home. Or even to his hotel room. 

He forced himself to open his eyes, and he saw the white ceiling of his hotel room. But the lights were off and the curtains were drawn, keeping the room nice and dim. 

He almost relaxed, before Milo realized that this meant there were people in his hotel room with him. He sat up slowly, listening more carefully to the voices outside his room. He couldn’t make out the words, but he could hear one voice that was definitely Nessa’s. And the other… was Kabu?   


Milo slowly peeled back his blankets and got out of bed. The room still tilted a little when he stood up, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as before. He made it to the door and opened it slowly, squinting in all the light that came flooding in. But almost immediately, he tell that someone was cooking something. The scent of spices wafted through the air, clearing his head a little bit.

He took a step out the door, eyes landing on the two people in his kitchen. Nessa was chopping vegetables and Kabu was stirring something inside a large pot. 

They both paused and looked up. 

“Milo!” Nessa said, brandishing her knife, “Get back into bed!”

“What-”   


Kabu sighed and lowered Nessa’s hand.   
  
“How are you feeling?” He asked. 

“Um… better. I think.”   
  
Milo rubbed the back of his neck, wondering what time it was. “What happened? Are we in my hotel room?”   
  
Nessa and Kabu shared a look. 

“Well, this  _ is _ your room, but Kabu decided he wanted to make you something for dinner.”   
  
“And Nessa is here to keep me company. We hadn’t planned on you waking up so early, though.”

Milo frowned, turning around and glancing out the window. It was dark out. 

“How long was I sleeping?”   
  
“The whole day.” Kabu said. “The three of us took turns checking in on you after the meeting.”

Milo blinked. “The  _ three _ of you?”   


Nessa laughed softly. “No offense Milo, but do you think we got you back here on our own?”

The phone resting on the kitchen table vibrated. Nessa picked it up. “Raihan gave us a hand. He’s out now picking up some medicine for you, and he says he’ll be back soon.”

Milo’s entire face flushed red, and he could feel his blush reaching his neck.

_ “Raihan _ brought me here? He didn’t- he doesn’t have to get me medicine, either.”

“Too late,” Nessa said without looking up from her phone.

Kabu sighed, setting his ladle down. He walked over to Milo and guided him to the table.

“You should have told us you were feeling so unwell. No one would have thought poorly of you for staying home, Milo.”

Milo sat down and ran a hand through his hair. 

“But that’s not me! I like working! I promise, I didn’t think it was that bad.”

Kabu sighed and said, “What’s done is done, I suppose. At least now you know your limits.”

Someone knocked on the door. Nessa went over and opened it. Milo saw a very familiar hoodie over Nessa’s shoulder.

Raihan ducked under the doorway and smiled when he saw Milo.

“Hey, Farmer’s Market! Good to see you awake.”

Raihan set a plastic bag on the table, pulling out a bottle of cough syrup and a box of fever medicine. 

“How much were they?” Milo asked. 

Raihan said, “Don’t worry about it. Consider it a gift for getting me out of the meeting early.”

Milo grabbed the medicine, reading the label to see how much he should take. Kabu slid a glass of water toward him.

Raihan laughed and added, “I also got to squeeze a workout into my day.”

Milo nearly choked on his pills. “Huh?” 

Raihan pulled out his phone. “I’m not surprised you don’t remember, you were really out of it.”   
  
He showed Milo a selfie, probably taken by his Rotom phone. Raihan was smiling at the camera while Milo was leaning his head against his shoulder, arms wrapped loosely around Raihan’s chest. 

“Wait, were you  _ carrying _ me?”   
  
“Well, yeah. How else did you think we got you back to the hotel?”

Milo’s face flushed a deep, dark red. He buried his face in his hands.

Maybe it’d be best for him if he went back to bed and pretended to be in another fever coma. 

Raihan said, “You’re still really red, Milo. Are you sure you’re not still burning up?”

“What?”   
  
But then Raihan was pulling off his headband. He knelt by Milo and pressed their foreheads together. Milo’s breath caught in his throat as Raihan closed his eyes and held them together for a moment. 

He’d never been this close to Raihan before. And he was certain that the other could hear his rapid heartbeat.

Raihan eventually pulled away and hummed. “Huh. You actually don’t feel as warm as before.”

Milo let out a sound, thoughts scrambling to arrange themselves. 

“Why on earth did you choose to check his temperature like  _ that?” _ Kabu asked.

Raihan shrugged and put his headband back on. “It’s how my mum used to check on me when I was a kid.”

Milo was completely ready to crawl back into bed and try to pretend that this whole day hadn’t happened.

But then Kabu started ladling soup into bowls and Milo’s stomach growled. 

He could go to bed after dinner. 

So the four of them sat around the table and ate in a comfortable silence. Kabu’s cooking was different from what Milo was used to. There was a little more spice in it, and even though it made his mouth burn it helped clear out his sinuses. 

He even had seconds. 

And Milo tried to help clean up the kitchen, especially after everyone did so much for him, but all three of them shooed him back to bed. 

Milo took a shower instead, just standing under a stream of cool water. 

After Milo got dressed, he sat down on his bed. He saw his phone on his nightstand and reached for it. He ought to tell Mum he was coming home in the morning. 

He was surprised by the number of texts waiting for him. 

**Leon:** Raihan told me he left the meeting early because he had to get you back to the hotel. Hope you get well soon! And don’t worry about the meeting, Rose always likes to drag them out

**Allister:** My team and I are wishing you well, try to get some rest. Opal also wants me to tell you to get better

**Melony:** Hi Milo! Nessa told us you weren’t feeling well! If you’d like me to bring you tea and warm soup let me know! 

**Gordie:** I heard you had to leave early today. I bet my Mum’s already tried texting you, if she tries bothering you just let me know, but get well soon!

Milo went through his messages, rereading all the texts left for him. 

Maybe he made everyone nervous by leaving so abruptly, but he couldn’t help but smile. 

They really were the best, all of them. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
